Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i got my 3 month old panther about a week ago, hes in a adult size cage (24x24x48)

temps range from low to high 70s with a basking thats about 100 to 102F, there is also another perch about 6 inches directly below the main basking spot which obviously is a little cooler

humidity was kind of low until today because i just now got a humidifier, it was about 35% - 45%, but with the humidifier on its about 60%

the weird thing is he doesnt just bask in the morning to warm up, hes practically always in his basking spot with his body tilted to take in heat, i think hes there about 90% of the time i see him, and he usually has his head down on the vine like hes getting ready for sleep

when hes not in his basking spot, which is kind of rare, hes active, he eat silkworms and crickets and drinks dripping water and seems ok

should i be worried about how much he basks or is this normal for young ones?

As long as he is leaving the basking spot to eat, drink, and roam around he's probably fine. Once he warms up is his color normal? If he remains dark regardless of how long he's been basking there might be a problem. Young chams are smaller in body mass (they will lose body heat faster than a larger adult), eating a lot, growing fast, and maybe he's just burning a lot of energy. It takes heat to process all the food he's eating and basking assists that. What temp does the cage/room get down to at night? If the room is getting down into the low 60's at night he may take a bit longer to warm up the next morning. I'm not saying you should add any heat at night...he's probably fine. If he was NOT active and staying a dark color all the time there might be a problem.

You might also check to see if theres a draft, is the air conditioner blowing in his direction? etc...